The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-04
A CITY HOSPITAL.
REMARKABLE WORK DONE
WITH SURGEONS KNIVES.
A Patient Relates Her Experience
A Baby's Club Foot Changed
Cutting Out a Cancer
Wonderful Surgery.

CuCClnS ouC u CdnCer-
Wonderful Surgery.
A Awoman who was private patient for
several weeks in leading hospital in New
York city consented to tell a Mail and
Express reporter some interesting facts in
regard to the operations performed.
They are remarkable instances of medical
and surgical skill. The lady was never
in an hospital bofore and was quite curl
Gus to observe the actions of patients,
nurses and surgeons. She had an in
teresting experience with her next
door neighbor, who was suffering
from dementia. The second night
of her stay, he jumped out of bed
and ran into the ward shouting sMurderW
and "Police!" until half the hospital was
aroused and nurses and attendants,
orderlies and doctors came rushing to the
scene. As that weird cry of murder
rang and echoed through the long halls
and corridors the effect was remarkable.
An engineer in one of the private rooms,
with crushed head and almost senseless,
ceased his low means of pain and lis
tened. He had been brought to the hos
pital two days before, after falling down
an elevator shaft and striking on his head,
sustaining an injury which upon examina-
ton proved to be compound fracture of
the skull. A very skilful operation was
performed by the attending surgeons.
His brains were entirely removed and
broken pieces of the skull extracted and
the uninjurcd portions of the brain re-
turned to their place. Even the little
threc-months-old babe, brought there
with club feet, now Strengthened with
brace and bandage, ceased its wailings
of pain and listened, too. A little
three-year old boy with broken leg, who
had been moaning all day and calling for
his mother, hushed his cries and, clutch
ing the bed clothes, lay with wide open
eyes the remainder Of the night. In the
woman's ward was poor creature who
had fallen from fourth-story window,
breaking both legs, three ribs and sus-
taining internal injuries. The sound of
the alarm below partially aroused her
from her lethargy and she began calling
for the little children who were playing
on the floor of her tenement room when
she fell. Although everything was done
for her at the hospital, the poor woman
died the next day. The old man was
finally coaxed back to his room and the
door locked this time to prevent another
escapade.
lit is astonishing" said the lady, "to
witness what is accomplished in difficult
surgery at the hospitals, even in these
days of scientific discoveries and achieve
ments. After almost cutting people in
pieces and putting them together again,
and keeping them in bed q couple of
weeks, they turn them out cured. And
it is done so easily. The simplest reme-
dies possible and system and regularity
in every detail are strictly observed. The
service is admirable. Only trained and
experienced nurses, male and female, are
employed and then the conveniences and
paraphernalia are so perfect. The ambu-
lance comes and goes, and brings patient
after patient. If their injuries are slight
the wounds are dressed, and they are sent
away; if serious, they are Immediately
taken to the operating room and from
thence to the wards. No questions are
asked, no gossiping is allowed, and ose OF
the nurses said to me, when she thought
I was too inquisitive: we are here to
work and not talk
Zone day I noticed unusual excite
ment among the orderlies and my nurse
informed me she would have to leave me
for couple of hours in charge of the
nurse from the next ward. A middle
aged gentleman suffering from cancer
on his tongue had entered the hospital
to be operated upon. The seriousness of
the case caused the flutter of excitement
among the nurses. The scent of ether
was in the air and We knew the new
patient was being conveyed to the operat-
ing room. Two hours passed and he did
not return. Another hour and the order
lies bore him to his room. Tbs operation
had been entirely successful. Some OF
his teeth were extracted and the under
Jaw had to be sawn apart in sections and
turned down over the neck, while about.
two-thirds of the tongue and roots were
removed: then the separated jaw was re-
united, the head and face bandaged and
two hours after he was sleeping like a
babe.
"The service in frst-class hospital, it
seems to me, is the best medical and
surgical skill that science can command.
The great benevolence and self-denial
with which the physicians work in such
institutions are to be greatly admired. I
want to say to all who are afflicted that
to be conveyed to hospital is by no
means to be conveyed to the grave"